The award-winning author and global best seller of "How to Live" and "At the Existentialist Café" explores the great tradition of humanist writers, thinkers, scientists, and artists who try to understand what it means to be truly human.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

BARACK OBAMA'S BOOK OF THE YEAR

Sarah Bakewell wonders what humanism is and why it has endured for so many centuries. By introducing us to the adventurous lives and ideas of famous humanists throughout 700 years of history, she shows how the humanistic values that guided us through dark times in the past are equally necessary in our world today.

"An epic, thrilling, and convincing work of history" - Daily Telegraph

"As she wanders through the centuries, readers will feel assured that they are in the company of a charismatic guide" - The Economist

Pages: 464, Dimensions: 12.8x12.8cm